U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on mission to ISS

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. space shuttle Atlantis lifted off on Monday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a mission to deliver a stockpile of spare parts for the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).

Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from pad 39-A, Monday, Nov. 16,  2009,at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Atlantis  and its six member crew are heading for an 11-day mission to the  international space station. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

According to NASA, Atlantis' mission will focus on storing spare hardware on the exterior of the ISS. In total, NASA said some 27,250 pounds (12,360 kilograms) of spares will be delivered to keep the orbiting outpost in service after the shuttle fleet is retired, including two control moment gyroscopes, used in maneuvering the station. An experiment by students at Texas Southern University in Houston that will study how microbes grow in microgravity is also heading to orbit aboard Atlantis.

"We wish you good luck, Godspeed, and we'll see you back here just after Thanksgiving," launch director Mike Leinbach told shuttle commander Charles Hobaugh right before the liftoff.

"We're excited to take this incredible vehicle for a ride and meet up with another incredible vehicle," Hobaugh said.

Following a smooth countdown, with no technical issues and weather that steadily improved throughout the afternoon, the shuttle blasted off on time from Launch Pad 39A at 2:28 p.m. EDT (1928 GMT), NASA TV shows. The five engines boosting Atlantis and its external tank toward orbit shut down as planned about eight and a half minutes into flight.

"A perfect launch, right on time," said a NASA spokesman after the shuttle reached orbit.